Two Years and Thirty-Four Hours Since the First Kiss

Early yesterday morning, I woke to that feeling of being in a strange bed and wishing momentarily that I was at home, in the comfort of my own cozy cocoon. I wished for the comfort of knowing that Jackamo was waiting to pounce and hurl his twenty-pound torso through the air to land on me in order to be petted. But we were at a vacation condo, in a room that was far too warm (although we never turned the heat on), the cat was at home alone, and the ocean waves were lolling on the sandy beaches outside in the near dawn.

Tim was snoring, so I couldn't get back to sleep immediately. I wandered out into the living room and gazed out the deck window to see the white capped waves approaching the shore. It was a peaceful feeling, but I was not at ease.

I sat on the decorator couch that wasn't overly comfortable and wondered if I should get a book, grab my journal, or flip on the mind-numbing television. Not motivated to do any of the above, I sat and vegged for a few minutes, wondering if Tim was ever going to get around to the whole proposal thing.

It had been about six weeks since his pronouncement of, "I've been trying to think of a way to pop the question," but nothing had happened yet. I thought that if he was going to do it over the Thanksgiving weekend, that he would have done it on Thanksgiving Day, or even Friday because that would have been the two-year anniversary of our first date. But those two days came and went without even a hint of anything. Saturday we went and shot some photos at Canon Beach and even there I thought that it would be a good place if he were planning on proposing. But nothing. We went back to the condo, did some odds and ends and then had dinner and started to relax. I felt full and icky, so I thought that it would be a good thing to walk on the beach. The Thursday/Friday mega storm did not allow for much walking on the beach when the winds were around 70 mph and the rain was sideways. Anyway, we walked down on the beach, in the dark, with the moon illuminating the sand in front of us. It was a clear night, not too cold, and very romantic. I thought that maybe, if he was going to do it at all, he would do it then. Alas, not in the cards for me. We got back to the condo and watched tv. He eventually fell asleep and I flipped through channels until I was bored and tired. My thoughts as I went to sleep were those of futility. I didn't think that it was ever going to happen.

I knew that he loved me, but it was a little disconcerting that he was having such a hard time proposing. I felt that maybe he still wasn't really ready. That didn't necessarily upset me, but I did wonder a little about what it would take for him to feel comfortable.

I vegged on the couch for a few minutes more, but really would have preferred to have a cozy blanket or something, so I decided to go back to bed. I snuck in so that I would not wake him up. He was still snoring soundly, so my efforts paid off.

Laying there, staring at the ceiling, I was mulling over the upcoming new year and what possibilities were ahead. All of a sudden, the snoring came to a staggering halt and Tim got out of bed to go to the bathroom. He came back and got into bed, rolled over and was surprised that I was awake.

"Hey, what are you doing awake?"

"I've been awake for quite awhile."

"Why?"

"I don't know... just couldn't sleep."

"Oh."

He fell quiet again and I thought for sure that he was going to go back to sleep. A minute or two passed. He rolled over toward me and leaned up on his elbows to give me a quick kiss.

"I love you," he said simply.

"I love you too," I replied.

"Can I ask you a question?" he asked... doesn't that really count as two questions?

"Yep."

"Will you marry me?"

No hesitation no pause.

"Yes."

Then the heavens sang at our sweet embrace.

Minutes later I couldn't help myself.

"YAY!"

He laughed.

We were engaged.